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The Omani Empire () was a Thalassocracy, vying with Portugal and British Empire for trade and influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. After rising as a regional power in the 18th century, the empire at its peak in the 19th century saw its influence or control extend across the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Cape Delgado in what is now Mozambique. After the death of Said bin Sultan in 1856 the empire was divided between his sons into two sultanates, an African section (Sultanate of Zanzibar) ruled by Majid bin Said and an Asian section (Sultanate of Muscat and Oman) ruled by Thuwaini bin Said.
In 1696, under the reign of Saif bin Sultan, an Omani fleet attacked Mombasa, besieging the Portuguese Fort Jesus, in which 2,500 civilians had taken refuge. The siege of the fort ended after 33 months when the garrison, dying of hunger, surrendered to the Omanis. By 1783, the Omani Empire had expanded eastwards to Gwadar in present-day Pakistan. The Omanis also continued attacking Portuguese bases in western India but failed to conquer any. In the north, the Omanis moved into the Persian Gulf, taking Bahrain from the Persians, holding it for several years. The expansion of Omani power and influence southwards included the first large-scale settlement of Zanzibar by Omani migrants.
The agriculture in Oman had undergone a massive improvement under Saif bin Sultan. He is known for providing water to the interior lands of Oman, while he encouraged Omani Arabs to move from the interior and settle along the coast by planting date palms in the coastal Al Batinah Region. The town in the interior of Oman, Al Hamra, has its irrigation system improved by the new built large falaj, it seems that the Ya'ruba dynasty supported major investment in settlement and agricultural works such as terracing along the Wadi Bani Awf. Saif bin Sultan built new schools. He made the castle of Rustaq his residence, adding the Burj al Riah wind tower.
Saif bin Sultan died on 4 October 1711. He was buried in the castle of Rustaq in a luxurious tomb, later destroyed by a Wahhabism general. At his death he had great wealth, said to include 28 ships, 700 male slaves and one third of Oman's date trees. He was succeeded by his son. Sultan bin Saif II (r. 1711–1718) established his capital at Al-Hazm on the road from Rustaq to the coast. Now just a village, there still are remains of a great fortress that he built around 1710, and which contains his tomb.
Sultan bin Ahmad pledged himself to British interests in India, and his territories became out of bounds to the French. He allowed the British East India Company to establish the first trading station in the Persian Gulf, and a British consul was posted to Muscat. As well as defeating Bonaparte, the British had another motive for the treaty with Oman: they wanted to put pressure on the sultan to end slavery, which had been declared illegal in England in 1772. At this time, the trade from Africa to Oman was still buoyant, and Zanzibar's position as an important trade centre was bolstered further when the supply of ivory from Mozambique to India collapsed because of excessive Portuguese export duties. The traders simply shipped their ivory through Zanzibar instead. Omani warships were in constant skirmishes up and down the gulf, which kept Sultan preoccupied. It was in the course of one of his sorties during an incursion abroad a ship in the Persian Gulf in 1804 that Sayyid Sultan was shot in the head by a stray bullet. He was buried in Lengeh.
Mohammed bin Nasir called on Badr bin Saif for help. After a series of engagements, Qais was forced to retire to Sohar. Badr bin Saif became the effective ruler. Allied with the Wahhabis, Badr bin Saif became increasingly unpopular. To get his wards out of the way, Badr bin Saif made Salim bin Sultan governor of Al Maşna‘ah, on the Batinah coast and Said bin Sultan governor of Barka.
In 1806, Said bin Sultan lured Badr bin Saif to Barka and murdered him nearby. Said was proclaimed ruler of Oman. There are different accounts of what happened, but it seems clear that Said struck the first blow and his supporters finished the job. Said was acclaimed by the people as a liberator from the Wahhabis, who left the country. Qais bin Ahmad at once gave his support to Said. Nervous of the Wahhabi reaction, Said blamed Mohammed bin Nasir for the murder.
The next year Britain failed to ratify Owen's Protectorate. this left the rebellious towns of East Africa alone against the Omani forces. Thus Mogadishu was bombarded by Omani forces in 1828 and the Banaadir Omani suzerainty was restored. After this jurisdiction over the Banadir coast was allotted to the Sultan of Zanzibar, because of instability in Muscat.
In 1832, Said bin Sultan transferred the capital from Oman to Stone Town. At that time, the empire's African dominion extended along the Swahili coast to 12 miles south of the Ruvuma River in Mozambique. Although the empire's primary governance was concentrated along the coastline, it also established control over numerous African and designated governors for inland regions.
The Omani Sultans' shared with the Geledi Sultans power over Banadir in a delicate equilibrium, thus when sultan Barghash ibn Sa'id sought to build the Fort of Garessa in Mogadishu in the year 1870, it had to be with the agreement and assistance of the Sultan Ahmed Yusuf of the Geledi. The Sultan of Geledi however did not dispute Zanzibari suzerainty and both were friends rather than rivals..
In the southern part of the Banadir along Kismayu, the rule was more direct that when Darod reinforcements from the North arrived to increase the Darod trust in the interior into the south against the Galla's they did so with the authority and approval of the Sultan of Zanzibar. The Sultan of Zanzibar constructed a fort in Kismayo in 1869.
The Sultan of Zanzibar later leased and then sold the infrastructure that he had built to the Italians, although not the land which is wrongfully stated by some accounts. The fort served as a residence (called Garesa) for the then Governor of Mogadishu, Suleiman bin Hamed. Eventually it was turned into The National Museum of Somalia.
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